Valve-motion



(No Model.)

F. LAMPLOUGH.

VALVE MOTION.

Patented Aug. 21,

ATTORNEYJ'.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFreE.

FREDERICK LAMPLOUGH, OF NEW YO RK,N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS P. nonnnmonENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

VALVE-MCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,967, dated August21, 1894. llpplication filed June 8,1894. sen tin 513,950. (No model.)

of engines in which a plurality thereof are arranged for co-operation,for instance as in a locomotive, each engine operating its own valve buthaving the latter connected with and modified in position by the pistonor cross-head of the other engine. Much difficulty has been experiencedin producing an effectual gear of this character, from the complicationof parts which have heretofore been thought to be necessary, or fromfailure to so arrange and proportion them as to cause both,

engines to work in time at all parts of the stroke.

Y My invention has for its objects to obtain the advantages of constantlap and lead, with quick action in admitting and cutting off steam,thereby getting the full benefit of the explosive action of the steam;to arrange the ratio of cut-0E for expansion at the will of the engineerwithout altering the lap or lead of the valve; to enable each valve tomake the parts of its stroke in proper time with the crank shaft; tocause both engines to operate inproper time with each other at all partsof the stroke; and to make such a gear simple and adapted to the presentconstruction of locomotives. p v t 4 With such objects in View myinventionconsistsin the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter setforth. l

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accompany ing drawing means for carrying the same into practicalefiect, without limiting my im-t provements in their useful applicationsto the v particular construction, which, for the sake of illustration, Ihave delineated.

In said drawings-the figure is a perspective diagrammatic'viewillustrating the essential parts of a valve motion or valve gearembodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, R and L represent the slide valves of theright and left engines of a pair, for instance those'of a locomotive,and 1 the main crank shaft having right and left crank arms 2 and 3,with which the pistons, not shown, and connectingrods r, r, are unitedin the usual manner. I

4 and5 indicate portions of the piston crossheads of said engines, whichare respectively connected by links K and L with oscillating arms 0 andA. These arms are fixed'on trans- 6o verse rock shafts 6 and 7. whichwill be mounted in suitable bearings, not shown, and which form thecenters of oscillation for the arms. 8 and 9 are valve rods connectingthe valve of each engine with its arm, 0 or A, and through which areciprocation giving a constant lap and lead is communicated from saidarm to the valve. The connections between the said rods and arms are nothowever direct.

The arms carry movable parts, such as 1e vers E, E, on pivots 10 and 11which levers are at points above the axes of' the shafts 6 and 7,connected with the valve rods by pivots 12 and 13, and which are alsopivotally connected at 14 and 15 with reciprocating links or pitmen Fand F by which latter the movements of the levers E and E arecontrolled. It is by properly controlling said levers, in conjunctionwith their movements derived directly from their arms C and A, that thevaluable results of my invention, in quickly admitting and cutting ofi'steam and in performing these functions at the most ad vantageous times,are attained.

B, D, indicate segments, mounted on the shafts 7 and 6 respectively,formed on the arcs of circles from the points 14 and 15 and serving asguides upon which play sliding blocks G, G. These latter have flangesg,or

otherequivalent means for obtaining a sliding o engagementwith thesegments, and are pivotally connected by pins 16, 17, with the links F,F. I It will be observed from this construction that when the parts arein the position shown in the figure that the movement of the 9 5 i.piston and of the arm Got the right engine will be communicated to thepivot pin 15 and afiect the valve of the left engine, and that themovement of the left engine will be communicated to and afiect theposition of the loo pivot 14 and valve of the right'e'ngine. When thepivots 16 and 17 coincide with the axes of the shafts 7 and 6, however,the lovers E, E, will be held practically rigid withthe arms 0 and A,and the valves will be given only their desired constant lap and lead bythe movement of said arms. If the block G be moved pastand below theaxisof shaft 7 and the block G be moved upward and past the axis ofshaft 6, the times of openingthe valves and the direction ofmovement ofthe engine, will obviously be reversed.

H, H, are links which are substantially up right (provided the engine isso mounted that I as the segments B and .D are rocked. Thev linfks thusserve to control the slidesG, G, and to compel them to move in arcsabout thepivots 18and 19 instead of about :the,

shafts 7-and 6. The paths of the pivots 16 and 17 thus approximate astraight l ne more nearly than they otherwise would.

It is important that the pivots 16 and 17 move the valves substantiallyas far during one-'halfstroke as during another. In order that this maybe'the result the controlling links H, B, should be at right angles tothe links F, F, at .the middleof the stroke. To this :end I provide foractuating the controllingliuksgin such manner that whether either slidebe at one or at the other end of its segment :its controlling link will,:at .midstroke, be normal to the actuated link For F. I accomplish this.by causing the controlling links, as they are moved to shift theslides, "to be thrown at their lower ends from one-side to the other ofa line which ishorizontalor transverse to the plane of valve movement.One of these lines is indicated bydots at a: in the drawing, and a, b,0, show the lower, the neutral and the upper positions of the pivot 19.The paths of the pivot 17 corresponding to the said upper and lowerpositions are indicated atc, a. I

The pivots 18, 19, of the controlling links are shifted asabovedescribed by arms I, I, connected withsaid pivots and attached to arock-shaft N. The latter is-operated by an 'arm land-rod J or otherconvenientmeans. ,It will be observed that the reversing rock-shat tN'is intermediate between thesegments B, D, and has its arms I, I,inclined the oneforward and the other backward,.thus enabling it toaccurately operate and control, through the links H, H, the slides G, G.

The main connecting rod of each engine during itsfirst quarterstroke isaccompanied by .a movement of its cylinder cross-head which is greaterthana qu-arter of its complete-reciprocation. I havezarranged tocompensate for this and. to'cause the valve-movement to correspondproperly with the rota: tion of its main crank. Referring to the crank3, for example, it will be seen that its first quarter-stroke, from theposition shown to .a vertical position, will be accompanied by .a changein the ordinary :CQH'l1jCtl[l g 10d 'r from a horizontal to an inclinedposition. This virtually shortens such rod and would move the bracket 5and the arm A for more than a quarter stroke. The arm A, and the valvegear of the rightengine which is dependent on it, would consequentlyreach its mid-stroke position too soon. So during the next quarterstroke of the crank 3 the con- 3 and the arm Ain thesame proportionsthat therod r shortens and lengthens thesame connection. Thus, if thedistance between the points d, c, represents the shortening and excessofthrow of theconnecting rod,dur1ng the first quarter stroke, it will beobserved that the operation-of link L will, d'urin.g:said

quarter stroke compensate by retard-ingthe arm A a distanceequal to(1,6, thereby bringin gthe arm to its median position jllStfi-SJJIBcrank 3 is vertical; so duringthe nextquarter stroke, while the rod 'ris approaching the horizontal and retarding the arm A, the link Lbecomes inclined and accelerates the arm.

Referring now to thepositions of .the parts asindicated in the figure,it will lac-observed that the left engineislon thecenter, while-theright engine is one-quarter stroke-inadvance of the left engine and infull stroke. The arm A and segment B .are consequently at rest for theinstant, while the arm-Q-segmen't D, link F, and the slide'valvesarezinsmotion asindicatedby the arrows. At this instant the leftvalve is beingimoved .-to the right-by the segment D -to admit steam infront-of the piston and willcontinue tozbeso-moved fora quarter stroke,this movement beingquicker than and overcoming the movement to the leftwhich the arm A willimpart'to-thepivot 13. At the end of thisquarterst-roke the lower end of the segment B wi-llhave'attained thelimit of its throw to the right and the steam ports to their maximumopening. Thereupon the arm 30 and .lower end'of segment D will be movedtoward the @left, actuating the lever E and rod 9 tocut-ofiisteam, whichmovement will be aided and hastened by the furthermovementof the/armAtothe right and the consequent oscillation ,of the pivot 13, which isabove the axis of 'th'e arm, to the left. Both the admission --andcut-off are thus-rendered quick, while thedegree of opening is underfull-control through the rod efiect. The link K is, therefore arrangedto become inclined as the rod r becomes inclined, and to be horizontalwhen the said rod is on the center. y i

I claim i 1. In a valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to beactuated from the piston of an engine, movable parts mounted on andcarried by said arms and adapted to be connected with the valves of saidengines,and actuating connections between each of said movable parts andan engine other than that with the valve of whichthe part is adapted tobe connected, substantially as set forth.

2. In a valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to be actuatedfrom the piston of an engine, levers mounted on and carried by said armsand adapted to be connected with the valves of said engines, andactuating connections between each of said movable parts and an engineother than that with the valve of which the lever is adapted to beconnected, substantially as set forth. 7 i

3. In a valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to be actuatedfrom the piston of an engine, levers mounted on said arms and adapted tobeconnected with the valves of said engines, and oscillatory segments orguides connected with said levers and each operated by an engine otherthan that with thevalve-lever of which it is connected, substantially asset forth.

4. Ina valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to be actuated fromthe piston of an engine, movable parts mounted on and carried by. saidarms and adapted to be connected with the valves of said engines,oscillatory segments or guides, each operated by an engine other thanthat with the valve of which it is connected, slides on the guidesconnected with said movable parts, and links connected with said slides,permitting their oscillation, and limiting their movement in linesparallel with the guides, substantially as set forth. f

5. ha valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to be actuated fromthe piston of an engine, movable parts mounted on said arms and adaptedto be connectedwith the valves of said engines, oscillatory segments orguides each operated by an engine other than that with the valve ofwhich it is connected,.slides on the guides connected with said movableparts, links connected with sald slides and situated substantiallytransverse to the direction of valve motion, and oscillating reversingarms connected with said links and adapted to throw the latter to eitherside of lines which are transverse to said-direction of motion and whichpass through the points of connection of said slides and links,substantially as set forth.

6. In a double valve motion a plurality of arms each adapted to actuatethe valve of its piston to give a constant lap and lead, andcompensating links K, L, connected with said arms and adapted duringeach quarter-stroke to throw the same equal distances to each side of aline transverse to the direction of valve motion, substantially assetforth.

7. In a valve motion the combination with the segments B, D, of theintermediate shaft N having arms I, I ,oppositely inclined forward andbackward, having pivots 18, 19 controlling links H, H, and slides onsaid segments said arms operating to shift said pivots from one side tothe other of the neutral point 12, substantially as setforth.

8. The combination with the segments B, B, slides G, G, links F, F, andlinks H, H', at right angles to the former links when at mid-stroke, of.means for reciprocating the latter links and maintaining their saidangle, substantially as set forth.

9. In a valve motion or gear the combination with the valves of aplurality of engines, of oscillating arms one for each engine connectedwith and operated from the piston rod or cross-head thereof, transverseshafts forming the axesfor said arms,'and carrying upon their other endssegments or guides, slides upon. said guides, levers mounted upon saidarms, links'pivoted to said levers upon centers adapted to coincide withthe axes of said transverse shafts and connected at their other endswith said slides, and valve rods ICO connected with said levers,substantially as

